Debate Statement

[Karl]

This is my opening statement for a debate we're having tomorrow. It's for government class, not a debate club, so it's probably not perfect. It's pretty casual.

Background info on the debate: Nazis petitioned to march in Skokie, Illinois. They were denied a permit to have a demonstration because they were nazis.

"Let me begin by clarifying something. This debate is not about if it is morally or ethically correct to be a National Socialist or an Antisemite. It is only about our rights as American citizens. We are here to prove to you that the National Socialists had the right to parade in Skokie, Illinois, and this right was protected by the United States Constitution, and by precedent set by previous Supreme Court cases. As Americans, our most basic freedoms are that of speech and assembly."

[DarkReality]

You'll be shot down.

Everyone hates neonazis. Pull the attention away from them. Don't even MENTION antisemitism or national socialism. This is about American rights, not the rights of those supporting distinctly "un-american" values and ideas. The trick is to make this a debate about who gets to interpret American rights. What happens if someone is given the power to say "no, you may not assemble and state your opinion publicly!" What if they misuse it? What happens with the delicate balance that keeps democracy alive? But whatever you do, don't mention Nazis in the first sentence :-p

"Why be tolerant towards intolerant monsters?" will be a clever answer by your adversaries. Why should you be tolerant towards them? Because you'll give them a vent. What happens if they're denied their American (and possibly even human) rights? They'll get their message across in another way. "Turning away and ignoring who and what is around us will not solve problems."

You're most likely not going to win by trying to make the class accept a utopian idea of "rights" regardless of how they're used. After all, you can be fined for insulting someone, so why should hate propaganda be allowed at all? Give them the illusion that they're reaching someone. Let them vent their aggression. It's better to allow them to protest because then you know where the bulk will be, making violent demonstrations less likely.

"Our constitution and it's amendments is built upon human and civil rights. Rights we have fought for and rights we cherish. The Declaration of Independence guarantees us inalienable rights. Inalienable means, no man, woman or institution can take them away from us. The day that happens, we will have no more legal backbone which we can trust. Our civil rights, our right to be free, will be in danger..."

I could go on and on, but you're clever. You get the jist of it :-)

[Karl]

Thanks, that really helps a lot.

I mean a lot.

Thanks!

[DarkReality]

How'd the debate go?

[Karl]

We lost. =(

Basically it happened like you said. We didn't mention Nazis anywhere, but that's the only thing the other team focused on. We were better prepared, better spoken, and had actual facts. They had a Jew on their team. He cried.

It was decided by an audience vote. We didn't have one person vote for us.

My government teacher said we should've won, but that didn't take away the horrible realization that I don't trust anyone to think about issues. They focused on, "omG NaZi!!~1!"

[CYAN.CLAN.LEADER]

I have a a few friends in debate adn they're absolute gods.

One says "1 + 1 = explosion" because it grabs the audiences attention and makes them forget what the opposition says

and one keeps mentioning the Holocaust (did i spell that right?) in every single debate he ever had. everything related to the holocaust, IBM or tiananmen square in some way.

[DefendYourAstle]

We lost. =(

Basically it happened like you said. We didn't mention Nazis anywhere, but that's the only thing the other team focused on. We were better prepared, better spoken, and had actual facts. They had a Jew on their team. He cried.

It was decided by an audience vote. We didn't have one person vote for us.

My government teacher said we should've won, but that didn't take away the horrible realization that I don't trust anyone to think about issues. They focused on, "omG NaZi!!~1!"
and the thing is, your thesis was undeniably true. some rights allow people to be antisemetic #######s, and you can't stop that without becoming communist.